Long walks with small kids

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Oishii
Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
DS, 4, has decided he would like to walk to Granny and Granddad's house, 60 miles away. The furthest he has gone so far is about 6 miles, and we carried him the last half a mile or so. I think it's a lovely idea, and I'd happily spend a week doing it some day, when we've built up to it.

So, I wondered, what's the longest walk you've done with kids at what ages?

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  • pmanpdx
    pmanpdx Posts: 3 Member
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    An ADULT of average stature walking briskly will cover about 4 MPH. At that rate it would take 15 hours to walk 60 miles.

    Adjust the total time to reflect:

    > the slower rate a smaller person might walk
    > stops (intersections, map reading)
    > breaks (food+water, restrooms, first aid -- blisters, etc)
    > tantrums, squabling with siblings

    I think a good first phase would be TRAINING to walk a marathon (26 miles and 385 yards). At 4 MPH a Marathon distance would take about 6.5 hours.

    When was the last time anyone you knew walked, continuously for 6.5 hours?
  • usernamekelly1
    usernamekelly1 Posts: 1,941 Member
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    My two (now aged 6 & 8) have always walked, their school is over a mil away uphill so they do that weekdays, and we often go out for walks I think they've easy done 10 miles
  • Remi79
    Remi79 Posts: 346 Member
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    I honestly don't think you could pay me enough to walk 60 miles with my 4 year old daughter...

    Do you really think he could walk all that way without being carried, or pulled in a stoller/wagon?

    I think he is too young to walk that far.
  • Caelca
    Caelca Posts: 1
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    My two kids, both three years old, are quite active on a regular basis. We often walk 5-7 km. Sometimes they ride their bikes so I get in a brisk walk.:smile:
  • Coco_UK
    Coco_UK Posts: 84 Member
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    I would say 4mph is pretty fast for an adult and not feasible for a child for any amount of time really, but I am no expert!

    I have never done more than 10 miles in one day sorry
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
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    As I said, we'd take a week, not one day! We certainly wouldn't be doing anything 'without stopping' either. There would be picnics, tourist attractions, towns, hotels...

    I just wondered what kind of distances people had covered at what age. Having nearly walked 6 miles, I guess the first target is that very same walk again. Then we'll work on enjoying hills, etc.

    Last time he wanted to go to the North Pole, so we walked North with a compass until we reached the motorway and decided that was enough excitement for one day. I just want to see if this is a goal we could accomplish in a couple of years' time. You should have seen his eyes sparkling at the thought.

    Oh, and his normal speed is 2mph.

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